Baby Care
Something as simple as not buying disposable diapers and using cloth ones instead, washing them in biodegradable laundry soap, can make a positive impact on the land. Disposable diapers are the third largest item thrown away in landfills.
Nappies
Did you know that one diaper will take 200 - 500 years to decompose? And while they are decomposing they emit noxious methane gas, leaving a terrible legacy to our grandchildren and their children.
Making the change to real nappies will save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars for a first child, and that saving increases with second and subsequent children, where the nappies can be reused.
Of course disposable nappies do have a place in our life, making life easier on mothers while they are out in public. However, switching to real nappies while you and your child are at home is a change that will really benefit you, the earth and of course your wallet!
Real nappies: The myths and the facts
MYTH: They leak
FACT: If you choose the right cloth nappy for your child's shape, they leak less than disposables. With so many different cloth nappies, you have a much wider choice of fit. There are many websites with detailed instructions how to fold a nappy, including The Nappy Lady.
MYTH: The cause nappy rash
FACT: Nappy rash is caused by the contact of faeces with human skin studies show that frequency of nappy changing is important to reduce rash, but the type of nappy used is irrelevant.
MYTH: They smell more and have to be sterilised
FACT: Disposables can smell awful even when just wet, due to the chemicals. Cloth nappies only smell of whatever is put in them! What could be better than your child wearing a natural product? You simply store them in a bin with a tight-fitting lid. Modern washing machines wash well enough that sterilization isn't necessary any more.
MYTH: You have to touch poo!
FACT: You can use liners inside cloth nappies - with flushable ones you can just drop the liner and poo down the toilet. Every mother will have to touch poo at some stage. Even with disposable nappies, the mess can still happen! The alternative is your child's poo sitting in a disposable nappy in a landfill, and the gas that is produced while they decompose is contributing directly to global warming.
MYTH: It is lots of extra washing
FACT: You can wash wet nappies with your normal washing. Soiled nappies can be washed separately or prewashed first. Most families do a nappy wash every 2-3 days. Washing cloth nappies in an energy efficient washing machine (even adding up the soap powder used and energy in their production) comes nowhere near the true environmental cost of disposables.
This is just a convenient myth!
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